Fence



Jan. 25, 1938. p E HUNTER 2,186,601

FENCE Filed July 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l fi l. 1% M3. 14 2 5 24Patented Jan. 25, 1938 FENCE Percy E. Hunter, Pittsburgh, Pa., L. T.Copeland and Fidelity Trust Company, administrators of said Percy E.Hunter, deceased, assignors to Hunter Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,309

4 Claims.

My invention relates to structures for use as bridge railings, fencesetc. and has for its primary object the provision of a protectiverailing structure constructed mainly of commercial rolled metal channelsor other shapes of such form that the structure will be effective toresist high velocity impacts and destructive shocks without failure, andyet will be economical to construct without employing an excessiveamount of metal, will be ornamental in appearance and readily accessiblefor maintenance and repair.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in a structure of thecharacter referred to, members originally of standard channel form thathave been reshaped in such manner as to render them suitable for use asrailing members, and to provide therein increased strength or resistanceto bending stresses as compared to the resistance to bending stresses ofthe channel in its original form.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a fence or railingstructure comprising members which consist of standard channels whichhave their flanges bent to such positions that they can be moreconveniently attached to other members of the structure, in the formingof posts, rails and panels.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fence or railingstructure that can be cheaply constructed and which for a given weightof metal will have greater strength thanother types of structuresheretofore employed.

Another object is to provide a bufier rail and attaching means therefor,of such form that the rail can readily be attached to ordinary picket orpanel fences, so as to receive and resist the impacts of hubs and bumperbars of motor vehicles, etc.

Some of the forms which my invention may take are shown in theaccompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of afence structure; Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is a View, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line TIL-III ofFig. 1; Fig. 4 is a face view of a modified form of fence structure;Fig. 5 is a View taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a View, onan enlarged scale, taken on the line VI--VI of Fig. 4; Fig. '7 is avertical sectional view showing still another modification; Figs. 8 and9 are cross-sectional views respectively showing modified forms of toprails; Fig. 10 shows a modified form of buffer rail; Figs. 11 and 12show still other forms of rails; Fig. 13 is a face view of a portion ofa picket fence to which any buffer rail is applied; Fig. 14 is avertical sectional view thereof; Fig. 15 is an enlarged view, taken onthe line XV-XV of Fig. 13; Fig. 16 is a rear view, on an enlarged scale,of the connection between two buffer rail sections; Fig. 17 is anenlarged view taken on the line XVII--XVII of Fig. 13; and Fig. 18 is asectional plan view thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. I show a structure comprising apost M, a top rail I 5, panels I6, an intermediate or buffer rail l1,and a bottom rail or skirt l8.

The post M at its lower end has a base I 9secured thereto by welding orriveting, and which may be either bolted to the structural work of abridge, or embedded in concrete. The post is composed of a pair ofchannels 2|, and a pair of channels 22 that are suitably welded orbolted to the channels 2|. The channels 2| are of standard commercialshape, wherein the flanges are somewhat tapered in that they are thinnerat their edges than at their bases. The channels 22 may initially be ofthe same form as the channels 2|, but the flanges 23 thereof are bentbackwardly to a plane substantially at right angles to their originalplanes, so that they canconveniently be secured to the flanges of thechannels 2|. A cap plate 24 of suitable form is placed upon the upperend of the post and secured thereto in any convenient manner.

The top rail I5 is formed of a standard channel, with its web portiondeflected to convex form, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, and with itsupper flanges 25 partially closing the space at the rear side of therail. This rail, as well as the post channels 22, can be formed orshaped by bending the original channels about a suitable die or mandrel,by the use of pressing members or rolls. The bending of the web of therail IE to convex form so increases the section modulus thereof that itwill offer much greater resistance to thrusts exerted against the faceof the same, than if the channel in its original form were positionedwith its web in a vertical plane. Also. the rail presents a much betterand more finished appearance than would a plain channel. The rail isordinarily viewed only from its front side. The open rear side of therail permits convenient access thereto for painting, and the relativepositions of the flanges thereof are such that pickets or panels can beconveniently attached to the lower flange.

The rails |5 extend into openings which may be cut through the webs ofthepost members 2|, and are connected by a tie plate or .splice bar'26flanges of the rails.

which extends through the post and is riveted or bolted to the bottomflanges of the rails I5.

The intermediate rail I1 is preferably placed at such height that it canbe engaged by the hubs or bumper bars of motor vehicles and thus serveas a buffer rail. This rail also may be formed of a standard channelthat may be of greater size and strength than is necessary for the toprail. The web of the rail I! is offset from its normal plane relative toits flanges, so that not only is its section modulus increased to moreeffectively resist impacts from vehicles, but it slopes downwardlysomewhat so that hubs or bumper bars can readily slide from a raisedposition down the said sloping surface, instead of being held suspendedby the rail. The rails I! extend into posts I 4 as do the rails l5, andthe upper flanges of the rails are connected by a splice bar 21, and thelower flanges by a splice bar 28. The splice bars are formed of metalwhich has great tensile strength, so that even if the posts are broken,the rails will still be held firmly in assembled relation and continueto function as an effective barrier which will prevent vehicles fromleaving the roadway.

The panels I5 may also be formed of standard channel sections of lightweight whose webs are displaced inwardly, as shown at 29, and whoseflanges 30 are bent backwardly into parallelism with one another.The'channels constituting the panels iii are mitred at their ends, andsuch ends are welded together along the lines 3 I. The upper and lowerchannels may have portions of their flanges cut away, as shown at 32,for decorative effect, and the unsevered portions of the upper flangesare secured to the bottom flange of the top rail l5 by angles 33 whichare riveted or bolted to said flanges. The flange portions at the loweredge of the panel are secured to the buffer rail I! by angle brackets34.

The bottom or skirt rail I8 is formed from a standard channel insomewhat the same manner as the rail l1, and has spaces cut outtherefrom at 35 for decorative effect. The adjacent flanges of the railsl1 and I8 are connected together by splice members 36, which are ofchannel form and have their flanges riveted or bolted to the The bottomrails 18 are secured together by splice bars or tie plates insubstantially the same manner as are the rails I1.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, I show a structure wherein the postsare of I-beam form with suitable openings through the webs thereof forreceiving tie plates or splice bars 4| that connect the ends of toprails 42, and also connect the ends of buffer rails 43 and bottom rails44. In this structure, the top rails 42 are formed from standardchannels in somewhat the same manner as the top rails I5, and pickets orpanels have their upper ends laterally turned and riveted to the bottomflanges of the top rails. The lower ends of the pickets are fastened tothe upper flanges of the buffer rails 43.

The rails 43 have their webs deflected to a greater degree of convexitythan the rails I1 and are therefore more resistant to thrusts imposedagainst the faces thereof. Both the rails 43 and 44 are formed ofstandard channels and they may be directly riveted together, or they mayhave a stiffening bar 46 interposed between the same, to increase theresistance of the structure to lateral thrusts.

In Fig. '7, I show a structure wherein posts 50 are of H-beam or I-beamform which may be imbedded in concrete, or connected at their bottoms toa base plate 5| by angles 52, which are riveted or bolted to the postand to the said base plate. A cap 53 is provided for the post.

The top rail 54 is formed of a standard channel whose web is bentcompletely back upon itself until the outer sides of the flanges thereofare in approximately back-to-back relation. Pickets or panels 55 areriveted or bolted at their upper ends between the said flanges. Thebuffer rail is composed of channels 56 and 51, each of whose flanges arebent backwardly into parallelism and whose webs are shaped to convexform, thus not only providing for greatly increased strength, but givinga finished appearance to the structure at both the front and rear sidesthereof. The lower ends of the pickets 55 are fastened by rivets orbolts, between the upper flanges of the channels 56 and 51, and pickets58 are secured between the lower edges thereof. The bottom or skirt rail59 is formed of a standard channel, and is welded or otherwise suitablysecured to the pickets 58.

Fig. 8 shows a top rail 50 which is formed in somewhat the same manneras the top rail 54, but

is bent to circular contour instead of polygonal form. The rail SI ofFig. 9 may be employed as a top rail and will present a curved, finishedappearance from the front side thereof, and may also be employed as abuffer rail.

The rail 62 of Fig. 10 is of particular utility as a buffer rail, sinceit has a wide face and great convexity. The rail 63 of Fig. 11 may beeither a top, buffer or bottom rail, while the rail 64 of Fig. 12 ismore suitable as a top rail.

All of the rails above described can, of course, be formed of standardchannel sections bent to the desired shapes to produce increasedstrength, better appearance, and to facilitate their connection to otherparts of the structure. The use of standard channels having flanges ofgenerally tapered form and of somewhat greater thickness than the webs,as is usual in structures of this kind, is of utility as compared toshapes which might be formed of ordinary sheet metal, because thethickened flanges provide greater strength at points where the membersare riveted or bolted together.

Posts and rail structures formed of rolled channels which have angularcorners, instead of pressed members which necessarily have roundedcorners, are also more desirable in that there is better fittingtogether of the parts and fewer open crevices. For example, as shown inFig. 3, the flanges of the post members at 23 fit snugly togetherthroughout their widths, and there are no crevices along their edgessuch as would be the case if such edges had curved or rounded corners.

Similarly in Fig. 5, there is full contact throughout the widths of theflanges of the top rail 42 and the pickets 45.

In Figs. 13 to 18, I show an arrangement whereby buffer rails may beapplied to either old or new fences such as those of the picket type.The fence proper is shown as comprising posts 51, top rails 68, bottomrails 69 and pickets 10. When fences of this type are placed along ahighway, the pickets and posts are frequently damaged and broken throughimpacts of vehicles, and furthermore, the fences are comparatively weak.

In order to accommodate such fences to traffic conditions, I provide abuffer rail- H which is shown as composed of 2. rolled channel whoseflanges are bent inwardly into parallelism with one another, the railbeing placed at about the normal height of vehicle hubs and bumper bars.The buffer rail arrangement hereinafter described is, however, notlimited to rail sections of this particular form.

The bufier rail sections H are connected in end-to-end relation by asplice bar 12, which is secured thereto by bolts 13. A finish plate 14overlies the outer side of the joint, and its inner ends are clampedbetween the splice plate 12 and the flanges of the rails II.

The rails II are connected to the pickets at suitable intervals bybrackets consisting of clip members 15 and 16, which are held inclamping engagement with the pickets by means of a bolt 11. The member15 has a head of T shape that extends into and engages the flanges ofthe buffer rails to hold said rails in place. The bracket members 15 and16 are of such length that the buffer rails can be placed against theouter faces of the posts 61, which usually project outwardly fartherthan the pickets.

The ends of the rail II are so securely connected with splice plates 12of sufficient strength that the buffer rail structure as a whole willpresent a continuous barrier, and each rail section will assist insupporting the adjacent rail sections against impact forces, evenindependently of the pickets and posts. Thus the buffer rails not onlyprotect the pickets and posts from damage through impacts of vehicles,but also constitute an efiective barrier to prevent vehicles breakingthrough the fence.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A fence comprising posts, vertically spaced metal rails connected tothe posts, the rails being formed of standard channels having their websbent backwardly along longitudinally extending lines to bring theirflanges into parallel planes, and pickets secured to said flanges.

2. A fence comprising posts and vertically spaced metal rails connectedto the posts, the rails being formed of standard channels having theirweb portions deflected to convex form throughout the major portions oftheir widths, and pickets secured to the flanges of said channels.

3. A fence comprising posts, a rail carried by the posts, a buifer railformed of a standard rolled metal channel having its web portion bentabout longitudinally-extending axes to increase the sectional modulus ofthe rail, and verticallyextending members connected to the said rails atpoints between the said posts.

4. The combination with a fence structure having posts, rails and picketelements, of a buffer rail formed of a standard rolled metal channelhaving its web portion bent around longitudinally-extending axes toincrease the sectional modulus of the rail, and means for connecting thebuffer rail to the fence structure.

PERCY E. HUNTER;

